Written Answers Friday 3 February 2006

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how local authorities neighbouring Glasgow might benefit from a successful bid by Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Patricia Ferguson: It is likely that there would be a number of benefits. These include:

  increased tourism and other associated business benefits;

  the opportunity to host training and preparation camps for competing countries;

  increased elite sporting success for Scottish athletes;

  complementing existing Executive plans to increase participation in sport at all levels and achieving an associated improvement in general health and well-being;

  the opportunity to shape and take part in the complementary cultural programme that would be developed, and

  providing some of the thousands of volunteers that will be required to deliver the games and then utilising their experience in helping to run a world class event.

Air Services

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what duties it has in respect of flights through airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.

Tavish Scott: Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), as the licensed operator of its 10 airports, is responsible for meeting UK Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport regulatory, and all statutory, requirements relating to its duties as the licensee of these airports. HIAL is also accountable via its Board of Directors to the Scottish ministers for the operation and management of its business.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of implementing an antisocial behaviour order is in each local authority area.

Hugh Henry: There is no centrally-held current information on the average cost for granting an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) available for Scotland. Research published in 2003 on the use of mediation to tackle antisocial behaviour collected some cost data on ASBOs in Scotland. ( The Role of Mediation in Tackling Neighbour Disputes and Antisocial Behaviour , Scottish Executive 2003 www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/mitn-08.asp ). However, this research was based on a very limited number of ASBOs and the estimates will now be out of date.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the highest recorded cost has been of implementing an antisocial behaviour order.

Hugh Henry: There is no centrally-held current information on the cost for granting an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) available for Scotland.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of implementing an anti-social behaviour order where the recipient is removed from home is in each local authority area.

Hugh Henry: There is no centrally-held current information on the cost of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) available for Scotland.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the highest recorded cost has been of implementing an antisocial behaviour order where the recipient has been removed from home.

Hugh Henry: There is no centrally-held current information on the cost of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) available for Scotland.

Antisocial Behaviour

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding the Co-operative Group contributed to the Standing Up to Antisocial Behaviour Awards Scheme.

Hugh Henry: The Co-operative Group did not contribute financially to the Standing Up to Antisocial Behaviour Awards Scheme. The group contributed by promoting the awards through advertisements in their local stores, supplying material and information through their business and community networks, and distributing application forms.

Asylum Seekers

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be provided in the school year 2006-07 to support the education of the children of asylum seekers in (a) Glasgow and (b) the rest of Scotland.

Peter Peacock: For 2006-07, Glasgow City Council is due to receive a total Education Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) of £448.3 million. For all local authorities in Scotland, the Education Grant Aided Expenditure for 2006-07 will be £4091.1 million. There is no specific GAE line for "the education of children of asylum seekers", however, there are a number of other GAE lines that authorities could use to support the education of children of asylum seekers, for example the line "teachers for minority ethnic pupils".

  In addition to this, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 requires education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils, including children of asylum seekers. For 2006-07, the Scottish Executive will provide £12.5 million to support implementation of the act, £25 million to support the inclusion of pupils with additional support needs in mainstream schools and £7.2 million for specific staff training around additional support needs.

  The Scottish Executive Education Department’s 2006-07 budget to promote equality in education is £600,000. As in 2005-06, a proportion of these funds will be used to assist in the education of the children of asylum seekers and refugees.

Asylum Seekers

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whose responsibility it is to ensure that additional funding to support the education of the children of asylum seekers is provided.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive pay an annual block grant to local authorities, who in turn then decide how much of the grant will be allocated to each of their service areas, including education. Local authorities’ education requirements are mainly met from this grant.

  There are also various other education specific grants paid directly by the Executive to local authorities. These specific grants have a range of policy objectives and will contribute towards the overall funding that local authorities receive.

  In addition to the annual block grant and specific grants, the Scottish Executive provides a number of funding streams to further support the education of the children of asylum seekers. Such streams include the Education Department’s Equal Opportunities budget, funding to support the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 and to support the inclusion of pupils with additional support needs, and funds allocated through the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum.

Autism

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many autism-specific inspections of (a) schools and (b) other education units have been carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education in each of the last five years.

Peter Peacock: Details of autism-specific inspections of early education centres, schools and units over the last five years are as follows.

  

Year
Autism-Specific Schools
Autism-Specific Units Within Schools
Pre-School Centres and Schools (Mainstream and Special) Attended by Pupils with Autistic-Spectrum Disorders


2006
1
2
 


2005
3
8
16


2004
1
2
 


2003
1
1
 


2002
 
1

Autism

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) in carrying out autism-specific inspections of schools and other education units.

Peter Peacock: HMIE has, for a number of years, applied the criteria described in published quality indicators when evaluating the quality of service provided by schools and education authorities in the area of services for children with autistic spectrum disorders. Schools and education authorities use the same criteria themselves in their self-evaluation approaches when evaluating the quality of service. The quality indicators in question are contained in How good is our School? and Quality Management in Education . Both publications are available on the HMIE website www.hmie.gov.uk .

  The approach whereby the criteria are publicly available and are used by both providers and external evaluators is internationally renowned and respected.

Bridges

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what revenue has been generated annually by tolls on the Forth Road Bridge since 1999.

Tavish Scott: This is a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority which owns and operates the bridge.

Canals

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many watercraft have made use of the Falkirk Wheel since it opened.

Tavish Scott: The following number of watercraft journeys have been made through the Falkirk Wheel since it opened:

  

Year
Number of Craft


2002
2,511


2003
3,587


2004
4,562


2005
4,697

Canals

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people used the Forth and Clyde Canal in each of the last five years.

Tavish Scott: British Waterways hold the following information:

  

Year
Towpath Visits


2002
7,619,000


2003
8,039,000


2004
6,768,000


2005
8,543,000



  British Waterways do not hold data for 2001 as this was the year in which the canal re-opened and counting methods were still being established.

Canals

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people make regular use of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Tavish Scott: British Waterways do not collect data on how many people make regular use of the Forth and Clyde canal. Information on the total number of visits is given in the answer to question S2W-22643 on 3 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Canals

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is of maintaining the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Tavish Scott: Basic maintenance costs of the Forth and Clyde canal total approximately £1.85 million per annum.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21897 by Hugh Henry on 18 January 2006, whether it will be making a submission to the UK Government’s review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and, if so, whether it will undertake consultation to inform its submission.

Hugh Henry: As I made clear in my answer to question S2W-21897, we have urged Scottish stakeholders to respond to the Home Office consultation, and we also intend to give stakeholders the opportunity to express their views directly to Home Office and Scottish Executive officials.

  We do not plan to make a submission to the UK Government as part of the current consultation on the review. The Home Secretary is required to consult Scottish ministers on any changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and our stance in response to this will be informed by the submissions of Scottish stakeholders to the consultation.

Drug Misuse

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what provision there is in each NHS board for needle exchange facilities for drug misusers.

Hugh Henry: Information provided by drug action teams through Corporate Action Plans for 2005-06 shows that there are 219 needle exchange facilities across Scotland. The number of facilities in each NHS board area is shown in the table below.

  

NHS Board
Needle Exchange Facilities


Argyll and Clyde
15


Ayrshire and Arran
9


Borders
7


Dumfries and Galloway
6


Fife
20


Forth Valley
25


Grampian
29


Greater Glasgow
30


Highland
7


Lanarkshire
25


Lothian
25


Orkney
2


Shetland
2


Tayside
17


Western Isles
0

Drug Misuse

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available to develop harm-reduction and needle exchange facilities for drug misusers in communities without such services.

Hugh Henry: Funds of over £8.4 million for the prevention of blood borne virus infections are currently allocated to NHS boards, by means of a formula based on population and HIV and hepatitis C prevalence and incidence. £23.7 million was allocated to NHS boards in 2005-06 for drug treatment services to be spent according to local needs and circumstances. In addition to these specific allocations, NHS boards are given a unified budget to meet the health care needs of their resident population. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet local and national priorities.

Education

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what education is given, and in which years, to nursery and primary school children on the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of infection.

Robert Brown: Education on the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of infection is given to both nursery and primary school children.

  The Care Commission regularly inspects all registered nursery providers against the National Care Standards – Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. The Care Standards require that staff take measures to control the spread of infection and that children and young people have opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles and hygiene. Promotion of hand washing before snack and meal times and after toilet visits to prevent the spread of infection is examined as part of inspection against the relevant Care Standards.

  Understanding and knowledge of personal hygiene forms part of the emotional, personal and social development strand of the Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5. Pre-school education providers are inspected on their delivery of the curriculum by HM Inspectorate of Education.

  The Hungry for Success initiative recognises the importance of promoting personal hygiene, and hand washing in particular, as part of work on health promotion in schools. The Executive has worked with the Food Standards Agency, NHS Health Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive to prepare appropriate promotional material.

  Schools should also ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to promote routine hand washing prior to meals, particularly for primary school children. Hand washing is also one of the key messages in the Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Campaign.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage children to become more physically active during their school lives.

Peter Peacock: A comprehensive programme of action is in place to encourage physical activity in and around the school day. Following the recommendations of the World Health Organization, Scotland is one of the few countries to have put in place a national physical activity strategy including national activity targets for children.

  In the school curriculum, we are taking forward a programme of work aimed at providing more time for, more teachers of and more choice in physical education. This was followed up recently with a commitment to provide Local Authorities with an additional £18 million in 2006 and £44 million in 2007 to support the recruitment of additional teachers, including PE teachers. In taking forward A Curriculum for Excellence we are looking at ways in which to ensure that the curriculum is flexible enough to allow schools to provide sufficient time for high quality PE.

  As regards physical activity in the wider school environment, since 2003 we have invested £24 million in the Active Schools Programme and currently have more than 600 Active School Co-ordinators in post. We are committed also to ensuring that every school in Scotland is a Health Promoting School by the end of 2007, developing a whole school approach to promoting the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being of all pupils and staff. In addition, the Scottish Executive Transport Group has invested £110 million to support safe, walking and cycling to school, including the creation of 20 miles-per-hour zones around schools. School Travel Co-ordinators in local authorities oversee and enable progress making clear links to the importance of physical activity for health.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how its investment in new and refurbished schools will improve opportunities for children and young people.

Peter Peacock: As part of the school estate strategy we have initiated the largest school building programme of modern times which will deliver 300 new or substantially refurbished schools by 2009 along with widespread improvements in many other schools. We are supporting school building through public private partnership projects with a capital value of some £2.5 billion, the schools fund capital grant of some £100 million per year and the general capital resources available to local authorities under the prudential framework. This investment is transforming the learning and teaching environment for many young people and teachers, with well designed, well built schools that have modern facilities that inspire young people, teachers and communities, and meet their aspirations and evolving needs.

Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Borders Council in respect of the council’s plans to remove the flexibility staffing allowance for secondary schools which is expected to result in the loss of 11 full-time teaching posts.

Peter Peacock: None. The staffing of individual schools is a matter for local education authorities as employers and consequently the Scottish Executive has not engaged in discussions with Scottish Borders Council about this issue. However, officials wrote to all local authorities on 19 December 2005 notifying them of the funding that will be available for additional teachers in 2006-07 and 2007-08, as well as clarifying that expenditure on teachers’ salaries was exempt from the efficiency savings identified in the 2004 Spending Review.

Employment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each parliamentary constituency earn (a) £3.60, (b) £3.61 to £3.80, (c) £3.81 to £4 and (d) £4.01 to £4.50 per hour, expressed also as a percentage of total employees in each constituency.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

  The latest ASHE estimates available by Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) are for 2003. However, as ASHE is a sample survey we cannot provide data for the requested pay bands as there are too few people in each pay band to produce reliable and non-disclosive estimates.

  Table 1 shows the estimated number and proportion of employee jobs that are paid £4.50 or below by SPC. Table 2 shows a more detailed breakdown of low pay bands for Scotland.

  These estimates are based on employee jobs rather than people in employment. One person in employment can have more than one job.

  Those who are self employed are not included.

  Table 1: Number and Proportion of Jobs Paid £4.50 or Below by Constituency, 2003

  

Parliamentary Constituency
Number of Employee Jobs1
Proportion of All Employee Jobs1


Aberdeen Central
2,000
7.8%


Aberdeen North
2,000
6.4%


Aberdeen South
2,000
4.9%


Airdrie and Shotts
1,000
2.2%


Angus
2,000
5.4%


Argyll and Bute
*
*


Ayr
1,000
5.6%


Banff and Buchan
2,000
8.3%


Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
1,000
7.8%


Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
2,000
8.2%


Central Fife
2,000
5.6%


Clydebank and Milngavie
1,000
5.4%


Clydesdale
2,000
4.7%


Coatbridge and Chryston
1,000
3.5%


Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
2,000
6.8%


Cunninghame North
2,000
7.1%


Cunninghame South
1,000
3.2%


Dumbarton
2,000
6.1%


Dumfries
2,000
7.8%


Dundee East
2,000
5.4%


Dundee West
2,000
6.1%


Dunfermline East
1,000
4.2%


Dunfermline West
2,000
5.4%


East Kilbride
2,000
5.7%


East Lothian
1,000
4.4%


Eastwood
1,000
2.7%


Edinburgh Central
1,000
2.7%


Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
1,000
3.1%


Edinburgh North and Leith
1,000
2.9%


Edinburgh Pentlands
2,000
4.5%


Edinburgh South
2,000
4.6%


Edinburgh West
1,000
2.1%


Falkirk East
1,000
4.9%


Falkirk West
2,000
5.8%


Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
2,000
12.1%


Glasgow Anniesland
2,000
6.8%


Glasgow Baillieston
2,000
7.9%


Glasgow Cathcart
2,000
7.4%


Glasgow Govan
*
*


Glasgow Kelvin
1,000
3.1%


Glasgow Maryhill
2,000
9.2%


Glasgow Pollok
1,000
6.2%


Glasgow Rutherglen
2,000
7.5%


Glasgow Shettleston
1,000
5.4%


Glasgow Springburn
1,000
5.2%


Gordon
2,000
4.2%


Greenock and Inverclyde
1,000
3.1%


Hamilton North and Bellshill
3,000
8.1%


Hamilton South
2,000
8.2%


Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
2,000
4.6%


Kilmarnock and Loudoun
2,000
7.5%


Kirkcaldy
1,000
5.9%


Linlithgow
2,000
6.2%


Livingston
2,000
5.6%


Midlothian
2,000
5.6%


Moray
2,000
5.3%


Motherwell and Wishaw
2,000
6.3%


North East Fife
1,000
4.4%


North Tayside
2,000
6.0%


Ochil
1,000
5.0%


Orkney and Shetland
1,000
4.6%


Paisley North
4,000
14.8%


Paisley South
2,000
6.6%


Perth
2,000
7.0%


Ross, Skye and Inverness West
2,000
7.3%


Roxburgh and Berwickshire
1,000
4.3%


Stirling
2,000
7.1%


Strathkelvin and Bearsden
1,000
4.1%


Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
3,000
7.5%


West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
2,000
5.8%


West Renfrewshire
1,000
3.0%


Western Isles
1,000
12.1%



  Table 2: Number and Proportion of Employee Jobs by Pay Band, Scotland, 2003

  

Gross Hourly Pay
Number of Employee Jobs1
Proportion of All Employee Jobs1


Less than or equal to £3.60
16,000
0.8%


£3.61 to £3.80
6,000
0.3%


£3.81 to £4.00
6,000
0.3%


£4.01 to £4.50
86,000
4.3%


Greater than £4.50
1,908,000
94.4%


All
2,022,000
100.0%



  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  * - Data are confidential, 1947 statistics of trade act.

  1. Employees whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

  2. Estimates include those on training rates of pay.

  3. As survey results, these are subject to a degree of error and implied differences may not be significant and instead be within a given error range.

  4. Levels are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  5. Totals may not equal the sum of individual parts due to rounding.

  6. Proportions are calculated on un-rounded figures.

Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any discussions have taken place with the energy sector or the UK Government in connection with potential energy shortages and relevant contingency plans and, if so, whether it will give details of such discussions.

Allan Wilson: Energy policy, including security of supply, is mainly a reserved matter. However, there is regular contact between the Department of Trade and Industry and Scottish Executive officials on a wide range of energy matters.

  The DTI lead the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee (E3C), and the Executive sits on this committee. In this role, the Executive liaises regularly with both the energy sector; Ofgem, the gas and electricity industry regulator, and the UK government on energy emergencies and contingency arrangements.

Enterprise

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the levels of long-term industrial investment have been in each year since 1992, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Nicol Stephen: It is not possible to answer this question from the data held centrally. The Office for National Statistics collects information on Net Capital Expenditure through the Annual Business Inquiry. This survey does not, however, cover investment from all industrial sectors.

Enterprise

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what forecasts it has made of the number of people employed in the textile sector in each year from 2006 to 2010.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has not made any forecasts of employment within the textile sector.

Enterprise

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it, or any of its agencies, made to the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into the proposed acquisition of Ottakar’s book stores by HMV/Waterstones.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it, or any of its agencies, made to the Competition Commission’s investigation into the proposed acquisition of Ottakar’s book stores by HMV/Waterstones.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the statement by the Office of Fair Trading in paragraph 26 of its decision on the proposed acquisition of Ottakar’s book stores, published in December 2005, that there is "no evidence to suggest that Scotland should be looked at as a distinct geographic market" and, if so, what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Allan Wilson: As I advised during the Ottakar’s takeover debate on 9 November 2005, competition policy, including that on mergers and takeovers, is a reserved issue. Not only is it reserved, but the United Kingdom Government has ceded mergers and takeover policy to the equally independent competition authorities: the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission, which operate free from Government interference.

  The Enterprise Act 2002 means that ministers, both in Westminster and in Holyrood, are removed from competition decisions. We have no power to intervene in any takeover or merger, even if we were minded to do so. Mergers and takeovers are matters for the competition authorities to consider and make recommendations on—it is for them and them alone to decide.

  Notwithstanding the constitutional position, my officials, at my instruction, notified OFT of the debate in the Scottish Parliament and also provide them with the link to the Official Report.

Ferry Services

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22213 by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006, which "regulatory standards" are referred to in the answer.

Tavish Scott: A comprehensive set of "regulatory standards" control the operation of ferry services in the UK. These international and domestic regulations cover matters such as safety, the classification and maintenance of vessels, security and impact on the environment. All companies providing ferry services in UK waters are bound to comply with all relevant regulatory standards.

Fire Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) police officers and (b) firefighters are due to retire in each of the next three years.

Cathy Jamieson: The estimated numbers of officers expected by the eight Scottish police forces to retire over the next three years (excluding any retirements on the grounds of ill-health) are as follows:

  2006-07: 489

  2007-08: 451

  2008-09: 637.

  Information on the number of firefighters due to retire in the next three years is not held centrally and is a matter for individual Fire and Rescue Services.

Gaelic

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the provision of Gaelic-medium education continues to expand.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that Gaelic-medium education units and schools do not become Anglophonic.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is monitoring the provision of Gaelic-medium education and is able to publish details of provision across the country.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Gaelic-medium schools there have been in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is taking a range of measures to ensure the expansion of Gaelic-medium education including the provision of guidance, measures to address teacher shortage, expansion of the secondary curriculum, increased support for pupils and teachers and additional funding for Gaelic-medium education.

  There is at present one Gaelic-medium school, which is in the City of Glasgow. There are, however, sixty other schools which provide Gaelic-medium classes in a number of Scottish local authority areas.

  The Scottish Executive relies on the Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education to evaluate education provision in Scottish schools, including Gaelic-medium classes, and to advise Scottish ministers. In 2005, HMIE published a report on Gaelic-medium education entitled, Improving Achievement in Gaelic.

  In Gaelic-medium education, Gaelic teachers have a key role in developing the language skills of young people. In order to assist with this Storlann, the National Gaelic Resource Centre, provides materials for pupils and support materials for teachers. In particular, Storlann published Facal is Fuaim, (word and sound) last year. This is a phonics scheme to assist with the development of Gaelic phonics for young people in Gaelic-medium classes.

Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any non-thermal studies and, if so, what the findings were.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has not undertaken any studies of the non-thermal effects of non-ionising radiation. However, the Executive funds, along with UK Government Departments and industry, the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR).

Higher Education

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students there are on planning-related courses in Scottish universities.

Nicol Stephen: In the academic year 2003-04, there were 960 students on planning courses at Scottish higher education institutions. This is the most recent year for which data are available. The following table gives the numbers for each level of study.

  Students Studying Planning as a Main Subject at Scottish Higher Education Institutions 2003-04

  

Postgraduate
475


First degree
485


Sub-degree
0


Total
960



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency.

  In this table 0, one, two are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Higher Education

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students on planning-related courses in Scottish universities are due to graduate in 2006 and, of these, what percentage it anticipates will find employment in the public sector.

Nicol Stephen: The number of graduates from Scottish higher education institutions in planning subjects in the academic year 2003-04 is given in the following table. This is the most recent year for which data are currently available.

  

Postgraduate
75


First degree
130


Total
205



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency; figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Of the planning students who graduated in 2003-04 and responded to a survey of their activity six months after graduating, 25 per cent stated that they were employed in the public sector.

  Forecasts of the number of students in planning-related courses due to graduate in 2006 and of the percentage choosing to work in the public sector are not available.

Housing

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to publicise the statutory requirement for all non-residential landlords to register with local authorities from 31 March 2006.

Johann Lamont: We are working closely with local authorities to support them in their promotional work at local level. We are also cooperating with a range of national level organisations to ensure that landlords and professionals linked to the private rented sector are fully informed. It is our intention to work with the media to raise general awareness of the requirement to register.

  An information leaflet template has been provided to local authorities for use in local publicity targeting landlords. The Scottish Executive website www.betterrentingscotland.com has pages on private landlord registration, including a comprehensive overview and detailed "frequently asked questions".

Housing

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can guarantee that Communities Scotland’s funding constraints do not lead to housing standards in island communities, such as Mull, being lower than on the mainland as a result of the increased costs associated with house building on islands.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Communities Scotland’s published Indicative Costs, which guide the assessment of individual scheme costs, formally recognise the relatively high cost of building in the Argyll and Bute local authority area generally. In addition, the specific factors which lead to additional costs on the islands are recognised by the Communities Scotland area office, and a flexible approach is taken to ensure that these factors are properly recognised.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consideration has been given to the impact on the recruitment and retention of student and qualified nurses in NHS Fife and the future staffing requirements of the board of the proposal to relocate all nurse teaching currently provided in Kirkcaldy to Dundee.

Mr Andy Kerr: Decisions about where, and how, pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes are provided, are a matter for the higher education institutions who deliver them, in consultation with all other stakeholders including NHSScotland.

  I have sought assurance that, before any decisions are reached, Dundee University will undertake a demonstrably robust and comprehensive consultation with staff, students and key stakeholders and discuss the outcome with the Chief Nursing Officer. Any discussions should include the effect of this proposal on recruitment and retention of students and nurses in NHS Fife.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21641 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006 and if this answer indicates that it accepts the opinion of the International Olympics Committee that London’s infrastructure and transport and travel links are such that it is the only city in the United Kingdom capable of staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, why in its opinion additional outlay on infrastructure, transport and travel links is being made in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: Following the unsuccessful Olympic Games and Paralympic Games bids from Manchester and Birmingham, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave clear guidance to the British Olympic Association (BOA) that London would stand the best chance of winning a future UK bid. Whilst London was seen to be the best placed candidate city to host the 2012 Olympic Games it was recognised that improvements to London’s infrastructure and travel links were still needed to cope with the influx of athletes and visitors caused by the games. The majority of these improvements were already planned, irrespective of the 2012 Games and reflected the London bid team’s realistic and achievable plans in their efforts to host the best games ever.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21641 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, whether this indicates that it shares the view of the International Olympics Committee that being a world city is a prerequisite to hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games and, if so, whether it considers that Atlanta, which hosted the 1996 games, is more of a "world city" than Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Patricia Ferguson: The consideration of whether Atlanta was a "world city" was a matter for the International Olympic Committee.

  The Scottish Executive is aware that our major cities have world-class facilities capable of attracting premier cultural and sporting events. EventScotland works in partnership with a number of organisations to attract such events and this work is building on our reputation as a premier events destination.

  The Scottish Executive currently has no plans to support an Olympic bid but would not rule out such a bid in the future. At present efforts are focused on bringing the Commonwealth Games to Scotland in 2014.

Police

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in delivering efficiency savings in the police, broken down by constabulary.

Cathy Jamieson: A breakdown of efficiency savings, by constabulary, is not held centrally. However, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland’s Best Value report for 2004-05 shows that efficiency savings from all the Scottish Police forces have risen from £7 million in 2003-04 to £15 million in 2004-05, a rise of 120%.

Rail Network

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much in real terms was spent on installing and maintaining the radio signalling system on the Inverness to Wick and Thurso rail line from April 1975 to April 2005.

Tavish Scott: This information has not been collected/held centrally. Network Rail have responsibility for this expenditure, but do not have access to records disaggregated in this form for the period requested.

  Devolution of rail powers to Scotland allows Transport Scotland to request information from Network Rail under the terms of an agreed Reporting Requirement which will come into full effect from 1 April 2006.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21666 by Tavish Scott on 22 December 2005, whether the police have any responsibility for adherence to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation in Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The provisions of the Chicago Convention are applied by the United Kingdom through the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and the Air Navigation Order 2005. Apparent breaches of the law may be investigated by the police. The convention does not prevent investigation of aircraft by the police, immigration or customs services, should they consider it necessary.

Renewable Energy

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Reporter has reached a decision following the public inquiry into the proposed wind farm at Corlic Hill, if so, what the decision is and when the report will be published.

Allan Wilson: Consideration is still being given to this proposal, but I expect that a decision will be announced shortly.

Roads

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the technical basis upon which the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route decision was made and, if so, on what date the information will be published.

Tavish Scott: Various technical reports have been published and are available for download from the project website www.awpr.co.uk .

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21295 by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005, how much of the £360 million per annum provided for roads in 2006-07 and 2007-08 will be made available to East Dunbartonshire Council.

Tavish Scott: A total of £5.468 million will be made available to East Dunbartonshire Council in both 2006-07 and 2007-08. This represents an increase of 25% over the 2005-06 allocation of £4.390 million to East Dunbartonshire Council.

Roads

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether specifications for the next generation of roads maintenance contracts will enhance the standards of landscaping on and around the trunk routes in Aberdeen.

Tavish Scott: Enhanced standards of landscaping at locations on and around trunk routes in Aberdeen are being considered for inclusion in the specification details for the next generation of roads maintenance contracts.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Scottish Executive Appointments

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it hopes to appoint a Chair, Director and Board of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Nicol Stephen: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. A Chair has now been identified and an announcement will be made shortly. Second stage interviews for the Director are scheduled for early February. In the meantime the SMAS team now operating within Scottish Enterprise will continue to report to Terry Currie, Director, Growing Business, as announced in November. The remainder of the advisory board will be appointed shortly after the chair and director.

Skye Bridge

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21510 by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005, why it considers that there was no requirement for the statutory identification statement publicising the assignation of ministerial rights in relation to the Skye Bridge Toll Order to be signed or dated.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16388 on 20 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Skye Bridge

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21512 by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005, whether there is any need for the Skye Bridge concessionaire to be in possession of an assignation statement identifying the concessionaire, regardless of when such a document is handed over.

Tavish Scott: Yes. Copies of both the Skye Bridge Assignation Statement and the subsequent Concession Agreement assigning the then Secretary of State’s right to charge and collect tolls at the bridge, were held by the concessionaire.

Skye Bridge

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21512 by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005, by what method the identities of the concessionaire company and those of its principal shareholders were officially published in 1995 when tolling at the Skye Bridge first commenced.

Tavish Scott: These details were not published when tolling began. There was no statutory requirement to do so.

Student Loans

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what communications and discussions it has had, and plans to have, with the Student Loans Company Ltd in respect of the interest payable on student loans.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Student Loans Company on a range of issues, including the interest payable on student loans.

Student Loans

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what communications and discussions it has had, and plans to have, with the Student Loans Company Ltd in respect of freezing the interest on student loans for those who are not able to repay them due to disability, illness or a medical condition which prevents the recipient from taking up paid employment.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Student Loans Company on a range of issues including issues relating to students prevented from taking up employment due to disability, illness or medical condition.

Student Loans

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to introducing a mechanism for freezing the interest on student loans for those who are not able to repay them due to disability, illness or a medical condition which prevents the recipient from taking up paid employment and what plans it has to introduce such a mechanism.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive currently has no plans to introduce such a mechanism.

Teachers

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact any shortage of initial teacher training placements in schools has had on the quality of teacher training.

Peter Peacock: While a very small proportion of student teachers have been inconvenienced by revised and/or rescheduled school placements, the Faculties of Education have confirmed that rescheduling of dates will not adversely affect any teaching qualification gained at the end of the course and that the quality of teacher training has not suffered. Furthermore, the General Teaching Council for Scotland has confirmed that no student will be penalised for having started their school placement slightly late or having it rescheduled.

Teachers

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact any shortage of initial teacher training placements in nursery classes has had on the quality of teacher training.

Peter Peacock: While a very small proportion of placements in nursery classes have been shared and/or rescheduled as a consequence of the significant increase we are making to the teacher workforce in Scotland, all such changes that have been approved by the General Teaching Council for Scotland on the basis that they will have no significant impact on the overall quality of initial teacher education.

Teachers

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking a course in education have had practical teaching experience (a) reduced or (b) cancelled due to a shortage of placements.

Peter Peacock: While a very small proportion of student teachers have been inconvenienced by having their planned school placement revised and/or rescheduled, no student has had a placement cancelled.

  Comprehensive details of the numbers involved are not held centrally.